Hello, Corporate America.

Tomorrow is my first day of employment in the corporate lands. It will be such a huge change from my time at a non-profit mental health facility. Wow.

I finished my past job last Wednesday, and the kids and fellow staff were totally wonderful. Over the course of the day, I received cards, letters, posters, colored pictures and a lovely scrapbook. Somehow, all of their kind gestures made the two years of minimal pay, 14+ hour shifts, scary moments of injury and threats, and all the other sacrifices worthwhile. From the perspective of our kids, it was often a thankless role, but the comaraderie among the staff was my driving force. One of my co-workers had a house party for me on Thursday night, and we all stayed up until 3 am laughing, talking and sharing crazy stories. I will miss each and every one of them so, very much.

So then why move on? When I looked at the people above me in the organization, I did not want to do their jobs. I lacked motivation to move up the professional ladder, and working every weekend was exhausting. The aspects of the position that I liked the most were things like coaching and training newer staff, motivating the team, helping staff set and achieve goals, building strong relationships with the kids and staff, etc. When I left college, HR and human services were the two things that really interested and motivated me. I've tried the human services route, and the aspects of it that were most appealing to me were those that are HR in nature. Therefore, I feel I owe it to myself to move onto something new.

As of tomorrow, my job title will be an HR Consultant Liaison. Sounds all too professional for someone who has spent the past two years going to work in jeans and sweatshirts. The company is a staffing and consulting firm, primarily associated with contract IT positions for Fortune 500 clients. Their headquarters are in NYC, with eight locations in the US and Canada. I have spent the past four days in Maine with my parents, trying to gain some clarity and snap myself out of denial that I have moved on from my other position. Additionally, I have been a frequent visitor to the mall to gather professional clothing items.

6:30 am tomorrow will come all too soon. Walking out the door at that time in business dress will be quite the shock. It's certainly a long, long way from an hourly wage of $13.20, sweatshirts and jeans, and working until at least 11pm four days a week.